One of Them
by TheOneHope
Summary: Life at the Western Air Temple was hard enough, or so Zuko thought. Until one day a mysterious man abducts the injured prince. The Gaang will need to race against the clock if they are to save their friend in time. Zutara in later chapters. A MUST READ!
1. Chapter 1: Morning Surprise

**Okay everyone, I'd like to start off saying this is NOT my first story (My old account got all messed up so I had to make a new one. Some of you may have known me as LightningWrites before so if there is similar content in this story to my old story **_**Life as It Is **_**IM NOT STEALING any thoughts or Ideas! Anyways I hope you enjoy this story, I have a great plot planned out for it so go ahead and get reading!**

**Location: Western Air Temple (After Boiling Rock)**

**Rated: T (Just to be safe)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender (Aww man!)**

**CHAPTER 1: A Morning Surprise **

It was morning in the Western Air Temple. The sun rose beautifully, kissing the mountain tops with a shimmer of glorious light. Sparrow-keets could be heard happily chirping amongst each other, their melodic tweets echoed off the walls of the canyon.

Zuko, of course, was always the first one to wake up at the Temple. Most nights were spent restlessly tossing and turning for the troubled teen, dreams plagued with horrible nightmares and unforgettable memories. He got up and stretched out his arms with a loud _yawn. _Then he scratched his head and looked through the stone window at the rising sun.

_"_Firebenders just have to rise with the sun, don't they?"He muttered. The ex-prince swiftly got up from his bed and rubbed his groggy vision away then walked over to the corner of his room and began to brew some Jasmine tea. The sweet aroma of boiled tea leaves filled the dusty air with a tranquil pleasure.

Zuko couldn't help but sigh at memories of the early mornings in Ba Sing Sai with his uncle.

_Uncle… _His mind drifted off to the painful memory of his betrayal. The look of disappointment in his uncle's eyes nearly broke his heart in two. His uncle never looked so ashamed. The firebender pinched the bridge of his nose out of sheer frustration. Truth was, the pain of his betrayal hurt more as he thought of it with each coming day…_ and I didn't hurt just uncle, _He hastily thought. _It's okay, I'll make it up to you Uncle and I'll restore my honor; the right way._

His uncle gave everything to him. He gave up his home, provided him wisdom, tolerated his outbursts, and showed him… _Love._

The word felt alien to him, unfamiliar.

Then his thoughts were directed back at Ozai, that cruel dictator would **never **be his father. And for once in his life he was completely okay with the idea. But everything his father said on the day of the eclipse had been haunting him without stop. _Was his mother really alive? _He could only pray that much was true.

The prince's thoughts were interrupted as a high-pitched whistling pierced the air, followed by a not-so-quiet crash as the porcelain teapot shattered across the stone floor of the ancient room. He winced in fear of waking the others, but was quickly reassured when a loud snore erupted from a certain water tribe warrior beyond the walls of the room.

The firebender decided that tea probably wasn't an option anymore so he quickly cleaned up the mess and grabbed his Dao Swords from the edge of his cot and quietly exited out his bedroom door.

He was just about halfway out the door when he was greeted with an unpleasant mud pie to the face.

"GOTCHA PRINCEY!" A clad green girl with hazy eyes cheered.

Ever since the "burning feet" incident, Toph had constantly been at her little payback. Every moment she had a chance, she would make Zuko's life a living nightmare.

He let out a low sigh, "Good morning Toph." He drawled out with a moan, wiping the watery earth from his pale skin.

"Well don't you look excited to see me." The tiny earthbender smirked. He only rolled his eyes in reply and walked past her, ignoring the small annoyance. "Hey don't you ignore me, you're not getting off the hook that easily!"

He continued to walk only to be stopped by a brick wall.

"Okay what's up Sparky, you never this moody in the morning." She visibly frowned at his lack of reaction to the early morning prank.

He dodged around the obstacle and continued to walk. "Sorry Toph, I guess I'm just kinda tired this morning."

"Uh-hu, I'm sure that's what it is." She rolled her blind eyes hoping to succeed in annoying the grumpy teen.

"Just leave me alone I don't really wanna talk about it." He mumbled

"Are you sure Zuko? You've been tossing around all night and I'm honestly starting to worry about you."

"I SAID I WAS FINE SO LEAVE ME ALONE!" He toned. Realizing he just let his temper get the best of him again, he rubbed his temples vigorously to calm his nerves. "Sorry Toph, I didn't mean to snap at you like that." He apologized.

"It's cool." Though inside she was a little shaken by Zuko's quick burst of anger.

Neither of them said anything for a while so Zuko assumed she left, but sure enough he turned around and there she was, trailing close behind.

Finally the awkward silence broke, "So where are you going anyways Sparky?" The young voice chirped.

Zuko abruptly stopped to observed the area. "Actually I think we're here."

"Huh? Where? All I feel are a bunch of crumbly rocks and some old statues." Toph commented.

"Exactly so when I firebend, no one gets hurt." He explained. Far to many times his fire had hurt someone, so he always tried to be extra cautious around the gaang. _Not to mention Katara's threat the the first night he came to the temple. _A slight shiver racked through his spine.

"Hey, you okay Sparky?"

"Hm, yeah. Sorry a just little breeze"

"Psh, you fire pansys are such pushovers." She snorted.

"Hey we are not!" The proud firebender contorted. "Which reminds me, unless you want your feet fried again, I recommend you get back to the campsite Squirt."

"SQUIRT! You've gotta be kidding me! I'm an earth rumble champion so you better watch your back bub or I'll have you halfway across this canyon by sundown!"She raged.

"Is that a challenge?" Teased Zuko. He cracked his knuckles and un-sheathed his Dao swords. "You're on!"

**Okay guys, I promise this will be Zutara, just be patient with me people(: Anyways, hope you really liked it and Reviews are very much appreciated! By the way I wouldn't mind a little critique so please please PLEASE don't hesitate to do so. Hope you stay tuned because there's more juicyness to come ;)**

** ~TheOneHope**


	2. Chapter 2: Sparring

**Okay guys bear with me here. I had a bit of writers block making this chapter so if there are a few mistakes or it's a little choppy please help correct me for future mistakes. Oh yeah, and if you have any suggestions or ideas pm me ;) Like always enjoy the story and don't hesitate to leave a review!**

**Rating: T**

**Location: Western Air Temple**

**Disclaimer: Sorry but I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender… Unfortunately **

**CHAPTER 2: Sparring**

_Previously…__"SQUIRT! You've gotta be kidding me! I'm an earth rumble champion so you better watch your back bub or I'll have you halfway across this canyon by sundown!"Toph raged._

"_Is that a challenge?" Teased Zuko. He cracked his knuckles and un-sheathed his Dao swords. "You're on!"_

The earth rumbled beneath his feet, he knew what was coming. Just in the nick of time, Zuko rolled harmlessly out of the way as a pillar of stone shot out beneath the very ground he was just standing on.

The column stopped an inch before striking the ancient crumbling ceiling of the old Air Temple.

"Nice one Sparky! Though I doubt your little dodging game is gonna work much longer." The little earthbender taunted. And with that smart remark she punched the ground fiercely creating a massive wave of earth.

He saw the danger approaching and thought fast. Glancing over his shoulder, Zuko found a thick green vine hanging from an old column. He jumped up and with the assistance of the vine, swung into safety.

Although the firebender evaded the wave of earth, he proceeded to fall down from the vine, landing hard on his feet and sending a shockwave of pain up his legs. He winced but only slightly, not wanting to damage his ego.

"Come on tough guy, lemmie have it!" Bellowed Toph enthusiastically.

"Oooh it's on now short stack!" He retorted with as much enthusiasm as his friend.

Twirling his blades viscously, Zuko sent a blazing jet of fire towards his opponent. For a moment he shot a worried glance at the little earthbender, thinking she was about to be engulfed by the hungry inferno, but with was quickly reassured when she sunk into the temple floor below him, barely missing the powerful attack.

Whipping his head about, trying to find the hidden location of his young friend; Zuko began to get paranoid, feeling slight tremors and vibrations below the surface of the dust coated ground.

He circled around the deserted sparring ground, carefully watching for any signs of movement in the barren atmosphere. After what seemed to be several minutes of waiting a low rumble was sounded below him.

Without warning a large boulder shot out of the ground barreling itself into the alarmed teen's stomach, sending him across the courtyard and into a hard jagged wall.

A sickening crack could be heard as Zuko made contact with the stone, breath being stolen by the wind.

"Ugghh!" He grunted as pain spread through his body.

"Oh-no" Toph ran through the debris of their battle and over to the figure leaning limply against the wall. She didn't mean to break his ribs! _Oh Oma please let him be okay…_

His breathing was labored and his chest throbbed with a dull ache. Through hazy vision he managed to notice a dark red spot slowly gathering at the side of his tunic.

He grabbed his side instinctively and noticed the red rubbed off of his robe and onto his hands. It felt wet, he wasn't sure what it was at the moment, but it had a foul coppery smell to it. Then he heard a voice, was it talking to him? He wasn't exactly sure.

He struggled to keep himself conscious as darkness began to overcome his vision.

"Sparky? Zuko! Stay with me buddy! "Toph noticed his eyelids were getting heavy and starting to drop, his heart beat was also very faint. She was no healer but she was pretty sure she had to keep him awake. The blind earthbender began shaking him vigorously; no effect.

She bit her lip and turned her head the other way, tears brimming her blind eyes. With a hard smack she jolted her friend slightly more awake than he previously was.

"Hu-wuhh…? T…Toph?" The injured firebender slurred.

"Listen, Zuko. You need to stay awake for me buddy."

Slightly confused but still aware of the words she said, he nodded his head reluctantly. _What was going on? Why does my side hurt so much? _He wanted to ask all these questions but he couldn't get the words to come out of his mouth.

Toph noticed Zuko was moving his mouth slightly as if to seem he was struggling to say something. "It's okay, I'll have you fixed up in no time, just hang in there." She told him.

That seemed to stop his struggling, but now he just lay there with glazed over eyes that were straining to stay open.

Toph evaluated the situation and realized it was probably best if she didn't move his body so she came to the unwanted conclusion of leaving him there to go for help.

She bit her lip shifting her eyes from Zuko back to the path of camp, finally she made up her mind.

"Listen, Sparky I need you to stay here for a little bit longer. I'm going to get Katara and she'll heal you right up."

He bobbed his head slightly .

"Oh, and one more thing. **Please, **please! Stay awake." With another worried glance back, Toph sprinted off for camp, leaving the injured prince against the wall.

Little did either know, there had been someone watching the whole time.

**What do you think? Honest opinions PLEASE(: Leave a review of pm me, whatever you want. See ya later everyone and stay tuned for updates!**


	3. Chapter 3: Wanted

**Hayyy everybody! So yeah, you guessed it. I couldn't sleep all night so I decided to make yet another chapter(: Anyways hope you enjoy and leave many juicy reviews and critiques! By the way, this chapter will be Toph and Gaang free, but don't worry they'll be coming up soon. P.S( If you don't like this chapter suck it up, I had fun making it!)**

**Rating: T**

**Location: Western Air Temple**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender… Blah blah blah you know the rest.**

**CHAPTER 3: Wanted**

_It hurt… Everything hurt, _from the tips of his fingers to the soles of his feet. The pain mostly seemed to gather around his chest.

Nerves on fire and tunic soaked with red, Zuko warily began to pull himself up using the support of the wall. About halfway up his ascend, the prince stumbled, dropping back to the ground helplessly.

_What's going on? _ _How did I get here? _

Then it all came in a flash- _The sparring, Toph, a boulder, un-bearable pain__…__"Listen, Sparky I need you to stay here for a little bit longer. I'm going to get Katara and she'll heal you right up."…_

"_Oh, and one more thing. __**Please, **__please! Stay awake." With another worried glance back, Toph sprinted off for camp, leaving for the injured prince against the wall._

"Ugh!" He grunted. He grabbed his side tentatively as another wave of pain rolled through his body. The prince was leaning on the wall for support, beginning to draw himself upwards once again.

This time, a success, he held a sweaty and blood covered palm to the stone, gasping for a breath of fresh air. As crisp air filled his nostrils, the fuzzy vision began to clear and his mind felt a bit more aware. The firebender continued to take in shaky breaths until he regained somewhat of a better composure.

Now a bit more stable and aware, Zuko realized something. _The blood! _He had to stop the bleeding before he completely bled out, causing him faint… or _worse._ Shaking those thoughts out of his head, the prince brought a shaky hand warily in front of him and ignited a small flame.

Now bringing the small flame (That seemed like it would flicker out any second) up to the right side of his abdomen, he gently pressed it to the bleeding area. Trying to suppress a cry of pain, the prince grit his teeth only allowing one quiet grunt to sneak past his lips.

His now cauterized side smelled freshly of smoke and burnt flesh. _Well at least I'm not bleeding anymore. _He thought tiredly.

He tried to focus, focus on anything but the pain.

Peering forward, Zuko began to watch the clouds roll by; their puffy white began to fade to an off white-grey as his vision began to swim and stir, fading to the darkness.

That's when it caught his eye.

A figure emerged from an ivory column, its dark outline barely visible in the foggy image of Zuko's sight. It seemed to stalk slowly into the area, like a predator observing it's soon to be prey.

"T-Toph… is that you? Katara? Aang?" He continued to ramble on the names of his fellow comrades. To his surprise none answered, and that's when worry turned into panic.

A soft whistling pierced the air as a silver glinted object cut through the atmosphere, directly in the path of the immobile firebender.

His eyes widened in shock as the small projectile tore through the skin on his left shoulder sending a whole new shockwave of pain through his body.

He stood like that for a while, unmoving, completely caught in a trance of pain. Body still shock, he continued to grip this wall as beads of sweat heavily rolled down his forehead.

Then he finally dropped to the floor. _Hard._

The next thing that happened horribly shocked him. A series of wet painful coughs racked through the prince's body. As a result blood freely spilled down his bottom lip; crimson staining pale ivory.

No longer having the power to keep conscious, he allowed the darkness to swallow him whole.

The mysterious figure then strode over to the un-conscious boy and grabbed him roughly by the collar. Warm brown eyes stared coldly at the small gold slits that remained open but dead to the world.

"Well, well… what do we have here" A deep sarcastic voice chorused. "This must be my lucky day." With a quite dark and hearty laugh, the figure hefted the dead weight of the teen over his shoulder. Swiftly and quickly the man fled the area, prize in hands.

"Sweet dreams _Prince Zuko." _He exclaimed, venom dripping at the last ending words.

**Hmm who do you think the mysterious man is? Take a guess, you'll never get it(: Haha I really hope you enjoyed this chapter but I'm gonna be completely honest. If I don't get more reviews soon I might not want to continue it so PILE ON THOSE REVIEWS. Critiques happily accepted(: Anyways stay with me here people and continue reading, I've got tons of fun surprises planned for the future so hang in with me here!**

~ TheOneHope


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